Railway electric signaling means.



0. M. McuN. RAILWAY ELEacmlc slsuALmG MEANS. APPLICATION FILED 'JAN.27| 1 97.. l

A1,260,224. Patented Man-19, 191s.

lV/ T N ESS.

To all whom'z't may concernf l i Be it knownthat I, lOrio l\."l\1cL11\I, 'a' citizen of the United-States, 'residing at4 Bolivar, in the county of Polk, State Vof Mis-l souri, have invented certainnevv and use-y'l ful Improvements in Railway' Electric Sig-r naling Means, of 'which thefollovvn'g is 'af full and exact specification. y

The present invention'relates to railway" signaling mechanism, and aims rto provide' an improved andfsimpli'ed arrangement and construction of electric vsignaling derk vices adapted for automaticopeiatio'n as a train passes a given ,point More especially the' inventi in comprises an arrangement ofelectric-sigiialing instruments for the protection of railway cross?- ings and the like, andincluded Within a` Wayside circuit at such points, the current for cnergizingsaid circuit `t'o'be supplied from a source-of electric energy vcarried by` the passing train. f

Further objects of the improvements are to devise a simple and effective mode yof automatically closing the'circuit' through" the said'sourceof energy carried by the train as the latter traverses the circuit; and,

Where a dynamo carried by the train is utilized for supplying the current, `the circuit-` closi'ng means includes provision for maintaining said dynamo operative for only such periods as the train is traversing the signal circuits.

Minor features Will appear in the course of the detailed description, Which will now be given, reference being had to the accompanying drawing Which illustrates one form of construction and arrangement of signaling mechanism that has been devised for embodying the proposed improvements7 after which those features of improvement deemed to be novel Will be set forth and defined in the appended claims.

In the drawing- Figure l is a perspective view showing the general arrangement and diagram of the path of the electric circuit;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation showing the manner of closing the electric circuit as the train approaches the crossing;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary plan 'Viewl of the engine dynamo and connections, and Fig. t is a side view of the same; and

Fig. 5 is a detail of a portion of the circuit-closing lever.

SIGNALING MEANS:

i The v'path or conductor 2 for the electric circuit is represented asapproachin'g the `'crossing 3 'from either direction,`v at' which :crossing the circuit includesr one or more ysignaling instruments, such as the bells -t andthe lamps 5. At points farthest from the crossing 3 the 'conductors 2 are suitably insulated;` Whileat" thev crossing said conductors are electrically connected with the rails of the'tracklS to complete the circuitA through the latter.- I y approaches the'crossing, which dynamo may be'inou`uted as at on a suitable shelf'7 just at therear ofthe pilot e" of the engine 9.

*Foi* driving thedynamo *ay belt" 10 mayvlbe arranged to 'drive from the front axle l1,A

pulley 1Q being mounted on said axle and the belt 10 run from 'said pulleyto a loose pulley 13 on the armature shaft of the'dynamo .-Specilficationlof Letters latent.- f.-Pa,tented -Magm i9, 1918. l applicati@ ala January 1 91'7." serial i `.`1 44,975. l

6. The dynamo circuit is closed through the conductor 2 by means of a sivinging circuit-closing lever 15 pivotcd at 1G to the of theconducto'r 2 which runsv parallel to the track 18, alongsidewhichthe said' Conductor." is elevated finto the path of said roller 'l7`as shown/in Figs. "2 and 4.' rI`he upper end'of the lever 15 engages in an opening 19 in one of the arms of the horizontal bell-crank lever 20 Which is pivoted to a bracket 21'on theshelf 7 The other arm of the bell-crank lever 20 is provided with a yoke connection to a sliding clutch element 2Q which is keyed on the shaft 14 and adapted to be moved into andout of clutch relation with the hub of the pulley 13. The engagement of the roller 17 of the -lever 15 with the elevated portion of the conductor 2 swings this lever against the action of. a spring 28, and as soon as said lever or its roller 17 becomes disengaged from said conductor 2,.,said spring 23 imme diately acts to pull the lever 15 in the opposite direction, thereby unc'lutching the member 22 from the pulley 13 and thus cutting ofi the drive from the axle 11 the instant the circuit -is broken by said disengagement of the roller 17 from the conductor, and allowing the dynamo to come to rest and remain out of operation until-the'circuit is again closed through said conductor.

lt will thus be seen that the engine carries and also that the circuit remains closed its own source of electricity for ringing the signal bells, or lighting the signal lamps, by the means of the dynamo,'al.1d that the eircuit through the signaling instruments iS automatically closed just as the engine approaches the crossing and the dynamo is Istarted in operation atthe ,same instant' said dynamo remains in oper-ation for enersizing the circuit and operating the signaling devices until the engine has reached the opposite sido of the crossing, when said Vcircuit is automatically broken and the drive to the dynamo also automatically cut olf, so

' fairly fall within the scope of the following claims.

Claimsz.

1. Rallway signaling mechanism comprising, in combination, a railway train, a wayside circuit, an electric signaling instrument includedA 1n said elrcult, a dynamo carried by the tram, and means arranged to close said circuit throuh said dynamo as the train Atraverses sai -`circuit, said means including provlsion for` automatlcally stop- .si e circuit, an electric signaling instrument included in said circuit, a dynamo earried b' the train, and means acting automatica ly to render said dynamo operative as said train enters the circuit and simultaneously to close the circuit through said dynamo as the train traverses said circuit.

8. Railway signaling mechanism comprising, in combination, a railway train, awayside circuit, an electric signaling device included in said circuit, a dynamo' carried by the train, and means arranged toi'cl'ose said circuit tlirou hsaid dynamo as the train traverses 'said circuit, said means including provision for automatically staiitr in and stopping, respectively, the mechanica operation of said dynamo, as said train enters and leaves the circuit. l

4. Railway signaling mechanism., comprising, in combination, a railway train, a wayside circuit, an electric signaling device mc uded in said circuit, a dynamo carried by the train and actuated by the movement thereof, circuit-closing means o' erating automatically to close the circuit t rough said dynamo as thetrain traverses said circuit, and means actuated simultaneously by the movements of said circuit-closing means for clutching and unclui'ching, respectively, said dynamo as the train enters and leaves said circuit.

In testimony whereof I hereto afix my signature.

OTTO M. MCLIN. 

